Brouwerij Hof Ten Dormaal Saison
What the brewers say
“As a saison, this is as old-school as they get. Lightly sour, brewed only with grain and hops made right here! Brewed for before, during, and after hard labor in the fields!”
What our panel thought
Aroma: “Moderate lemon notes with a touch of lime. Light spicy notes, but more muted than other examples. Light tart note, could have a slight Brett note. Fantastic aroma that really shines—orange and fresh-baked bread.”
Flavor: “Tart notes up front with big grapefruit and lime notes. I would guess Brett in this beer because of that. Moderate spiciness toward the end of the sip that could be considered harsh, but then a big grapefruit flavor comes in to finish it off. Overall malt sweetness is low. Balanced toward yeast characteristics and hops flavor. Very refreshing. Extremely dry, but in a drinkable way.”
Overall: “Very fruity and refreshing beer. Had there been a little more balance toward the malt, it would have scored even higher. Very dry with a touch of carbonic bite. Very acidic for a saison—it’s refreshing but fairly intense for what I would expect.”
